Southern France Experts - HELP!

[artnbarb]

yep, the timing is tricky! this is why we didn't visit Florence in June/July!

 

[Chris]

Yes, we stayed in Sarlat, yes the traffic getting in and out was a hassle (but I seem to remember there was some construction contributing to that). I think we were there the first week of May. There were tourists around, but it was far from over run. We had no problems getting into the restaurants we wanted, and the only time the town seemed really crowded was Market Day. I always thought that if I were to go back to the area St. Cyprien would be my first choice. It's in a convenient location, not quite such a tourist hub, smaller than Sarlat, but not tiny, and it just had a pleasant feel to me.

 

[Sharon J]

Sorry Pauline, it was me, Sharon J, and I'm not sure how to place your quote here. We stayed in Beynac in a beautiful house inside the little village. It's 500 years old and once owned by a Knight. http://beynacvacation.com/MontJoie/MontJoie/Welcome.html The house is beautiful and at the top of a very steep hill. The owner is American and wonderful to work with. There is a small grotto for parking a very small car, but it's tricky driving up the steep hill and getting situated. Personally, I could not have done it, especially with a standard transmission, but my husband has owned sports cars and it didn't bother him at all with the shifting and narrow lane.

We loved the town of Beynac and the tourists didn't bother us at all, truly never felt overwhelmed in any way. What a setting, sitting on the terrace, especially during the evenings, looking at the castles across the valley and the beautiful river. If you rent the house, you receive a parking pass and can park in the lot below.

 

[Pauline]

... We stayed in Beynac in a beautiful house inside the little village. It's 500 years old and once owned by a Knight. http://beynacvacation.com/MontJoie/MontJoie/Welcome.html .

Such a nice looking house! It would be nice to have a view in that area. I enjoyed the walk up to the top of Beynac. Looks like it is booked already in May next year.

@artnbarb - maybe staying in one of the smaller river towns, like Domme or Castelnaud which I spoke against earlier, would be fun. I find that I can pick the area, but the accommodation available always determines which town I end up in or near.

 

[Pauline]

Yes, we stayed in Sarlat, yes the traffic getting in and out was a hassle (but I seem to remember there was some construction contributing to that).

When we were there a couple of years ago, we went in on market day and the traffic was thick but we found parking and were not delayed much. I think it must have been construction when you were there.

 

[Sharon J]

Personally, we loved the little town of Domme. Would love to find a cute place to stay in next time. For one thing, the town itself is flat, which would be much easier on my knees. One surgery down and probably a second in my future. These hilltop towns aren't so easy anymore.

 

[SusanSeattle]

My mom and I went on Kathy's Perigord trip last summer & so stayed in Montignac. We had one long day as far as driving went (maybe an hour there and back) but most days the journeys were under 30 minutes. You might take a look at their website (google european experiences) to get a feel for what sites you can reach easily from around Montignac.
We went at the end of June so there was a fair amount of traffic, but it wasn't horrible. Going in May sounds wise, as we encountered that heat wave which makes it harder to enjoy walking around.

We stayed overnight in Toulouse when we arrived in France & enjoyed our stay. The 'old town' area is car free, there are lots of restaurants, and the river is very lovely.

 

[artnbarb]

The itinerary is shaping up like this:

Sat, Apr 30 – arrive early a.m. via ship in Barcelona. Cab to airport - rent car – drive to Carcassonne.

Spend one night at http://www.hotelmontmorency.com/en/3-star-spa-hotel-carcassonne

Sun, May 1 - drive to the Lot, the area around Rocamadour for 3 nights.

I found this place in Bretenoux on booking.com: http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/dom...dcid=1;dist=0&sb_price_type=total&type=total&,

and this one right in Rocamadour: http://www.terminus-des-pelerins.com/en/

and this one in Gramat; http://www.moulindefresquet.com/

I've booked the first one in Bretenoux already, but think I'd prefer to be IN a village - any thoughts?

Wed, May 4 - west of the A20, in the Dordogne, for 5 nights.

I found this one in Domme: BELLE PETITE MAISON - http://www.holiday-gites-dordogne.com/gite-rental-domme-16 (ref 0016)

and HAUTS DE LA ROQUE in GAGEAC http://www.holiday-gites-dordogne.com/gite-rental-domme-196 (re 0196).

I haven't made a decision yet between these 2.

Sun, May 8 drive south, towards Cahors, spend 3 nights in this area

I haven’t even started looking at places to stay until I get the previous nights locked in!

Thurs, May 12 – drive to Barcelona, return car, spend night near airport

Where to stay? At the airport? Since we won’t be arriving until late afternoon I’m not sure it’ll be worth it to drag our luggage into Barcelona for our last evening.

Fri, May 13, fly home, depart Barcelona 10 a.m.

Am I making progress? I sure don't feel like it!

 

[Pauline]

Sat, Apr 30 – arrive early a.m. via ship in Barcelona. Cab to airport - rent car – drive to Carcassonne. Spend one night at http://www.hotelmontmorency.com/en/3-star-spa-hotel-carcassonne

That looks like a nice hotel! I looked on street view and it is across from the parking area for the old city - so easy to find. You can walk to the main entrance (a fabulous huge drawbridge thing). From there it is only a block or two to the restaurant area inside the old city. We had dinner there one night - there are rows of restaurants - and it was good.

Both those Dordogne rentals look good!

I would stay at the airport, or close to it so you can drive there easily the next morning.

You are making progress!!

 

[artnbarb]

OK! I've booked our first night in Carcassonne, and our last night near the Barcelona airport! Now to fill in the 13 nights in-between!

It has been suggested that I use a single base in the northern area of our stay, rather than dividing up between east and west of the A20. I have contacted the agency representing the houses linked above, and both are available:

• in Domme: BELLE PETITE MAISON - http://www.holiday-gites-dordogne.com/gite-rental-domme-16 (ref 0016), with a cost of €742 for 8 nights
• and HAUTS DE LA ROQUE in GAGEAC http://www.holiday-gites-dordogne.com/gite-rental-domme-196 (re 0196), with a cost of €685 for 8 nights

Any reason to choose one over the other? They're in the same area, both look cute, have parking nearby and washing machines. Will one village be easier to get in and out of than the other?

I realize that it's impossible to see and do everything, but I'm wondering if 8 nights in Domme/La Roque Gageac and 3 nights around Cahors is the best use of time - any comments?

 

[artnbarb]

Yikes! Now I've found 3 more houses, all from the same agency as above, #s 0118, 0067 and 0083, all in the village of St Cyprien!

 

[Pauline]

I stayed in St Cyprien at @Kathy recommendation and liked the village. Our apartment was large but dark - but you will be able to find something better. St Cyprien is well located for getting to the Dordogne towns south and the cave area north.

My comments on your short list:
Belle Petite Maison - I see an electric heater, but not many of them. I wonder if it might be cold in early May? Probably not. And living in England I do obsess over heating. They don't mention heat in the description.
Hauts de la Roque - They mention the electric heating system in this one.
Hauts de la Ville (Ref. 0118) - Gite rental Saint Cyprien - The living room looks dark. The kitchen is not as nice as the first two.
Tourondel Haut (Ref. 0067) - Gite rental Saint Cyprien - I don't like that it has a pool and it looks dark.
Terme (Ref. 0083) - Gite rental Saint Cyprien - This is the one we rented! It looks much better in the photos than in reality. The living room was uncomfortable and the dining room was dark. We always ate in the kitchen. The bedroom was nice but the room was very large. I will try to look up old notes but I remember liking the town but not being excited about the apartment. The living room was not welcoming. Kathy really liked it - perhaps because she was there in summer and everything was brighter.

A few photos of St Cyprien, mid May 2013.

Market. Notice everyone wearing coats. We had some cold, wet weather.

The street our apartment was on.

The main street.

 

[Pauline]

Beynac on the river. Looking up at the town from the main road.

A few photos of Sarlat.

 

[Pauline]

And a few photos of Domme. This felt like a too-touristy town to me, but another poster liked it. We were only there for a few hours. It sits high above the river.

 

[Pauline]

Domme is a bit more isolated that the other towns. It is on the south side of the river, and up a bit of a road to get to town.

Have you looked at any rentals in Sarlat? That is a bigger town, so there would be more to do in the evening.

 

[artnbarb]

I think I'll write to the agency and see what else they might have in St Cyprien, and mentioning your comments.
My new dilemma is how to best divide the 11 nights we have in the area. I know that 8 nights isn't too long around St Cyprien, but I'm afraid 3 nights at our southern base will be too short!

 

[Pauline]

Can you do one week in the Dordogne and 4 nights in the south?

 

[artnbarb]

Domme is a bit more isolated that the other towns. It is on the south side of the river, and up a bit of a road to get to town.

Have you looked at any rentals in Sarlat? That is a bigger town, so there would be more to do in the evening.

I agree about Domme, but had to laugh at your comment about Sarlat! I was worried when we were planning our trip to London that I wouldn't have enough to do in the evenings, but most of the time we went to bed early so we could get up early, and I'll bet we do the same in France!

 

[artnbarb]

This agency seems to be flexible on dates, if that's what you mean, so yes, we could. Is it worth giving up a day in the northern part of our stay for the southern part???

 

[artnbarb]

@Pauline , this one looks much lighter and brighter, don't you think? Ref #0265